LA LAJITA Wastewater Treatment Plant, La Lajita, Canarias, Spain

LA LAJITA is a wastewater treatment plant located in La Lajita, a locality in the municipality of Pájara on the island of Fuerteventura, Canarias, Spain. The plant was designed to serve a small population of 1,000 people, with a capacity of 3,000 cubic meters per day. It is currently listed as closed. As a secondary treatment facility, LA LAJITA would have provided biological treatment to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. Under Spanish regulations implementing the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), plants serving agglomerations of this size are typically required to have secondary treatment. The plant's coastal location suggests it discharged treated effluent into the marine environment. The plant is situated within 10 km of the coast, indicating its discharge likely entered the Atlantic Ocean near the southeastern shore of Fuerteventura. The surrounding area is arid and supports limited freshwater ecosystems, but the coastal waters are part of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem, which hosts diverse marine life including sea turtles and cetaceans.

The plant's treated effluent would have been discharged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Fuerteventura, part of the Canary Islands archipelago. The coastal waters are influenced by the Canary Current, supporting rich marine biodiversity including seabirds, fish, and cetaceans. The arid climate means freshwater resources are scarce, making the protection of coastal water quality critical for both ecological and tourism-related uses.